It has been five months since the catastrophic 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck Nepal on 25 April, followed by several powerful aftershocks that shook a large part of the country, particularly the central and western administrative regions. The calamity has added a new challenge to Nepal’s short-to-medium term economic and development prospects. The downside risks have been compounded recently by political strikes in various parts of the country. The political strikes prior to and after the promulgation of the new constitution are disrupting production, distribution networks, and external trade. Some political parties are not satisfied with certain provisions in the new constitution, which was passed through more than a two-thirds majority vote of the Constituent Assembly, and have been intensifying their protests over the past five weeks. Despite the challenges, Nepal’s GDP growth outlook for fiscal year 2016 (ending 15 July 2016) is cautiously optimistic...

— blogs.adb.org/blog